A Burning Rose
by Njoror
Summary: Rejected and alone, Ruby has turned to Cinder Fall. Cinder has offered her a chance at revenge against all who ridiculed her, and a home. Four years later, the city of Vale is in for a revolution. Dark. Rated M for descriptive violence and adult themes. Currently on Hiatus for a re-write.
1. Prologue

A sniveling man lay on the ground before her, desperately attempting to stop the flow of blood from the stump of an arm. His teammates littered the street around him, cut up with various stages of completion. The man's mace was at his side, along with the arm it had been held in. He stared up, his eyes pleading, at the figure in red above him.

The woman in red merely sneered, enjoying the show. Blood and limbs caked the street, reflecting the light in glorious ways. She wanted more, she wanted this man to scream. She had never imagined that nightlife in Vale could be so _fun_. She knew these huntsmen had been patrolling an underpopulated area, so there would be no interference while she enjoyed herself. She gave the man a smile.

"_Please_…" she heard him whimper. "We were classmates… Don't you… Remember?" Blood trickled down the side of his mouth, probably from the broken ribs. "You were a team leader…" he gasped. "So was I… Cardin… Winchester."

The woman in red had no recollection of him, but his story did strike a chord him her. Slowly she lowered her scythe, the bottom almost touching the ground. "You were at Beacon?" she whispered.

"Yes." He seemed to be getting stronger as he saw recognition on the red woman's face. Perhaps he would live through this after all.

"Oh…" the woman said slowly, giving him a chance to hope. Then her eyes flashed. "You were one of _them,_" she spat. "You mocked me, ridiculed me, and now you think that shall prove your salvation!" The scythe trailed the ground in a deadly arc, with it flying one of the man's legs below the knee.

* * *

He screamed. The blood began flowing out of the newest stump on his body. Slowly, the woman in red lowered her scythe again. She kneeled down by his leg. "Damn… You…" the man managed through his screams and tears. "Crimson Rose… They will catch you…"

Crimson Rose smiled at his shift in attitude. Her aura flared by his knee, stopping the blood

flow and healing the wound. The man's eyes were wide, not believing he might have a chance. "We wouldn't want you bleeding to death yet," the woman explained. "I'm going to play with you for hours."

It was the man's own fault all the streets in this area were vacant. No one could hear his ear-splitting screams as his body was mutilated.

* * *

Cinder Fall watched as a woman in red walked into the throne room. Cinder's advisors sat in chairs lining the sides of the walkway as the woman in red slowly walked through them. Cider watched in amusement as they instinctively shied away from her. As the woman reached the dais where Cinder sat, she kneeled.

"There is another group of dead Huntsmen," the woman in red reported. "And the area you tasked to me is clear, my Queen."

Cinder stood at the words, slowly sweeping her way down to the woman in red. She lay a finger on the woman's neck, slowly tracing it up her face, so the two locked eyes. "You need not be so formal with me," Cinder stated seductively, "Ruby." The woman gave no response to her name being said, nor to the finger that had started twirling her hair. "Rise." Ruby did so.

Cinder slowly walked in a circle around her assassin, appraising her. Blood caked her hair and clothes, although her scythe was clean. When Cinder got to the back of her assassin the second time, she stopped. From behind, she encircled the woman in her arms, resting her head on her shoulder. "Well done, my love," she breathed.

Ruby shuddered at the words, but gave no response. The advisors watched on in silent awe as Cinder controlled the deadly assassin. All throughout Vale, Huntsmen and Huntresses had been showing up dead, sliced or shot by this woman.

She had come to Cinder over four years ago, desperate and alone. She had been rejected by all her peers for skills, her ability. Unable to fit in, she had been cast out. In Cinder she had found a match, the Queen needing a person of skill. But even more than that, she had taken Ruby as a lover. The red woman had craved to be controlled, to be ordered, and Cinder craved control.

Within two months of being recruited by the criminal organization, Ruby Rose had become one of its most influential members. But she never used that influence, for she had dedicated her life to Cinder. Slowly, Cinder lead the two of them out of the throne room, to her private chambers.

* * *

Ruby stood in the center of Cinder's bedroom. The Queen slowly walked around her, a finger trailing over her shoulders. Cinder stopped in front of Ruby, her hand moving from the younger woman's shoulder to her hair.

Without warning, Cinder pulled in Ruby's head for a kiss. The younger woman offered no resistance, melting into Cinder's embrace. She allowed the queen to force her tongue into her mouth, scouring her in ways she had never imagined. Ruby closed her eyes, allowing Cinder to do whatever she pleased.

Slowly Cinder disengaged herself from the kiss. She began pacing in circles again, but this time as she went around she undid the buckles that held Ruby's armor to her body. The assassin drew shaky breaths as her armor was removed, one piece at a time. When Cinder was done, all of her armor lay neatly on a chair to her side, and she stood in nothing but her underclothes.

"You taste like blood," Cinder told her. Ruby did not respond. "Hmm? Did you have fun without me?" Still no response. Both of them knew there would be no punishment, as there was no way Ruby could have transported her latest plaything. "So still, so silent." Cinder leaned in, capturing the younger woman's mouth in another kiss. "I love it."

With a push, Cinder sent her lover toppling onto the ironically king sized bed, jumping on top of her. "Do you want me to take you?" she whispered into the young woman's ear.

Ruby shivered, the voice awakening her carnal instincts. "Yes mistress," she responded. Fiery hands burn off her undergarments, and Ruby moaned at the pain. Ruby's Queen, her mistress, her love, her reason for existence smiled down upon her. Tonight would be filled with celebration.

* * *

Blake inspected the grizzly scene before her. It would be a nightmare to figure out what body parts belong to whom. Team CDRL had been had, and it wasn't pretty. Weiss and her new partner Sun had been questioning the police for any possible clues, but it was pointless. All of them knew that Crimson Rose was behind the latest string of attacks, and likewise all of them knew they'd never find her.

Team WSBY's presence was a formality as the morticians struggled to figure out what limbs attached to what stumps. From behind Blake, the sound of an explosion and mortar raining down could be heard. She sighed, turning to her partner. Yang had punched the nearest wall, putting deep cracks in it. Tears streaked down her face, but not because of the dead Huntsmen.

"It was _her_ again," Yang sobbed. "Why couldn't we stop her Blake? Why couldn't we make her stay?" The both of them knew the question was fruitless, born of a year of frustration and fear, fear of their former leader and Yang's own sister. They had tried everything they could, but Ruby was lost to them.

* * *

**A/N**

**So this one is a bit darker than my other RWBY work. Tell me what you think, as I'll be updating each one on a rotating schedule.**


	2. The Meeting

Blake sighed around her coffee cup. The room was completely silent save for the rustling of restless Huntsmen and Huntresses. It was an impromptu gathering of the Hunters stationed in the area to figure out what to do about Crimson Rose. Mostly it was just teams from Beacon, in their first or second years of being a Hunter. Scattered around were some older Hunters, mostly solo members who became Hunters in the old style. And no one else seemed to know how to start a conversation.

Blake sighed again, taking one more sip as she stole herself to stand up. "Assembled Hunters," she started. Great, a corny opening line, just what we need. "We all know why we're here. Something has to be done about Crimson Rose. Does anyone have any ideas as to the subject?"

"Aye," said one of the old hands. Blake nodded to him, sitting down as he stood in her place. Slowly, he walked to the center of the circle. "I know ye young-uns had her as a classmate, but this is gettin' ridiculous. She's killed nigh on eigh'een Hunters at this point, som'tin has to be done. I know ye won't like it, but me an' some o' the other fellers had us a talk." He nodded towards most of the older Huntsmen.

One of them pulled out a whiteboard, which he tossed to the man in the center. He pulled out a marker and began a sketch as he went on. "We decided that we can't show her any mercy." There were a few gasps, and Yang sat very rigid in her chair. "I said ye wouldn't like it, but it's just fact," he went on. "We're gettin' picked off by the number, an' it isn't just singletons. Nay, this most recent one was one of ye teams, the whole four of 'em. I know ye aren't the most experienced, but that Beacon place trains ye pretty well." He calmly soothed any rustled feathers at the implication they weren't competent.

"That being said, catchin' her might not be an option." He held up the whiteboard. Blake looked intensely, trying to figure it out. On it were a collection of lines and things that looked like buildings, along with some X's and… It was a diagram of one of the street corners near where the meeting was being held. "The idea is simple," he continued, "we get one or two Hunters to be walking with apparently no purpose. They go down this here alley," he pointed at the one in between two streets with X's on either side. "An' once our little rose takes the bait, we slam the trap."

He looked around, seeking approval. Of the thirty or so Hunters who had attended this meeting, it was clear he knew about eight. Almost all the rest were either brand new Hunters like Blake herself, or just never happened to cross paths with the man.

"That's irresponsible," piped in a new voice. Blake could have recognized it underwater, as her team leader's voice was quite piercing. "What if she doesn't take the bait and just attacks them on the street?" Weiss went on. "Or what if she just observes and avoids the trap? She could be taking us out one by one as we wait to spring it."

The Huntsman in the center nodded, either at the well thought out argument or because he had already thought of that. But before he could offer a rebuttal, a new voice chimed in. "Why not position our people to watch all entrances. Then when we hear the fight starting, we can get there in time." Lie Ren was an extremely intelligent man, and had offered a very solid core of stability for the newer Hunters out of Beacon during this… trial.

"Aye, that there's a good idea lad," said the Huntsman still in the center of the circle. He made some changes to the board, showing the new plan.

"I still don't like it," complained Weiss. "What if she kills our people before they can show up for the fight? If she can take us four on one, she can take us two on one."

The older Huntsman opened his mouth, but Pyrrha's voice cut in first. "Weiss, if there is no risk there will be no reward. The only way we can catch her is if she is in a position to catch us." Agreement was voiced by the majority of the circle. Weiss's eyes burned with ice, but she did not respond, probably because she understood the necessity of it.

Ren looked around the circle. "Are we all agreed then?" Nods and a round of 'aye's gave him the all clear to continue. "Then we should select who is going to be the bait."

"I will go." Yang's voice stopped the conversation before it even began. Fury and sadness burned in equal parts in her eyes. "Geezer," she said softly. The man in the center did not look offended at the name. "You might not know it, but Crimson Rose is my sister. I need to talk to her."

Old eyes filled with understanding as he looked back. "I un'erstand why this is important to'ya then lass, but can ye pull the trigger if she says no?" Yang's expression did not change. "Do ye have what it takes to capture her, once yer face to face?" Still Yang did not respond. Blake guessed it was time to jump in and save her teammate.

"That is why I will go with her," she put in. Eyes swiveled back to Blake, as they had done when she started the conversation. A loud bang came from the door, but no heed was paid to it as she continued. "Crim-No, Ruby, was my friend and leader too. But she isn't that anymore. She is now a…" Blake did not, could not finish the sentence. Unshed tears lay in Yang's eyes, stopping her from going on.

"Then it's decided," the Huntsman said solemnly.

The rest of the meeting was logistics focused, but in the end twenty Hunters would end up participating, Blake and Yang as bait and eighteen Hunters to capture Ruby. As the meeting disbanded, one of the younger Huntresses made it to the door first. She screamed.

Blake rushed with the rest to see what the commotion was about. By the door was the young woman, her partner holding her in his arms and telling her over and over again that everything would be all right. Blake's gaze slowly drifted up, afraid of what she would find.

On the door, nailed in, was the head of one of the Huntsmen why said they couldn't come. His neck extended about two inches before cutting off with medical precision. A completely clean cut, although that was more than could be said for the head. It was clear Crimson Rose had had fun, the head was missing a nose, both eyes and an ear. The mouth hung open, revealing no tongue, the slimy limb instead being in one of the eye sockets.

"Hunters," said the older man who had lead the group. "It would seem we had company." In his hands were a rose and a small paper. "It says… 'I'll be there.'

* * *

Ruby loved the feeling of walking around Vale. The screens on shopfronts all showed her latest endeavor, and profiled her. It was amusing to see their attempts, when she was walking right next to one of those very same reporters. Dressed in a typical duster and boots, she looked absolutely unremarkable, except for being on the short side. Anyone who saw under the duster would only see a corset and a skirt, casual attire. Strapped to her waist was a small red and black box looking thing, possibly a package. She could be a delivery girl.

Ruby allowed herself a smile as she observed the terror she had invoked. While her orders had been to kill Hunters, it was clear that stirring up the public was exactly what her Queen wanted. Cinder had never told her to take out civilians, but a bit of freelancing was never punished. Besides, people made the most delicious screams when they found their relatives in pieces.

While walking the streets, Ruby happened across a building that had a sign indicating it was currently reserved for Hunters. Using some tricks that Roman had taught her, Ruby flared her aura to enhance her hearing. She listened to the entire plan, even picking up where it was to take place. While the meeting seemed halfway over, she decided to have some fun.

Ruby quickly traveled to the house of a Huntsman she knew. Things were too easy. All she had to do was knock on the door and slice him to pieces. She didn't get to have fun with him, but still mutilated his head a bit, just to mess with the Hunters a bit. Prize behind her back, she carried it in a sack. She didn't want to stem the bleeding but leaving a trail of blood, literally, wouldn't do her any services. With a railway nail, a rose, and a short letter, she left her gift to the Hunters.

As she turned away from the building, a plan started formulating in her head. A trip back to her Queen for orders, a visit to Roman-with orders from her Queen-to her some dust, and a few well placed bullets would prove quite the welcome for their little trap. She licked her lips in anticipation, almost dancing a little jig. There would be blood tonight.

* * *

A/N

So now that we're out of the first chapter, they become longer. Hopefully it's recognizable that I'm trying to flicker the story between a Ruby that has been so willingly corrupted that all her morales are gone and a sort of detective team from the viewpoint of Blake. This wasn't the original plan, but it sort of evolved that way. Maybe the scenes with Blake are my way of balancing out the morally bankrupt scenes with Ruby.

Also, I've been getting really great responses so far, 40% of the reviews of my other RWBY fic with only 10% of the content. Then again, I didn't really know exactly how unique this approach was until you all told me. Hopefully I don't fail you in this.


	3. A Trap Laid

A homeless beggar sat in rangs in the corner of a dark alley. Two women, garbed as Hunters, swiftly approached. The paused in the center of the alley, halfway between the two streets and halfway between the two walls. They exchanged no words, only glances, as they waited for something. Neither even saw the beggar.

Ruby watched from under the cloak she had acquired as the women shifted nervously. She smiled at their unease. She was surrounded, but that was part of the fun. Cinder had taught her more than one way to make that an advantage. She frowned as one of the Huntresses moved into a better light. There was something familiar about her blonde hair, but Ruby could not remember.

"Spare a lein?" came a tenor voice from the beggar. Both women jumped, having thought themselves alone. In fact, the whole area should have been clear, except for… The woman with black hair jumped sideways as a bullet whizzed through the air by her head. The beggar threw off her rags, revealing dark red leather armor. In her hands was a giant scythe, large enough to split a person in two and strong enough to break concrete.

Ruby Rose stood in a sudden light, coming in from four sides. They had installed floodlights in the area to make sure she wouldn't hide in the shadows. From the rooftops surrounding the alley little Hunters popped up. Each of them had a weapon trained on her.

"Hold!" one of the women called, the one with black hair. "Go ahead Yang."

Yang… Something about that name struck a chord in Ruby. A faint memory of a rambunctious blonde who gave enormous hugs. The memory was swiftly bogged down by hated. Yang had been at Beacon, she had rejected Ruby like the rest of them.

"Ruby?" asked the blonde woman, known as Yang. "Ruby, what have you done?"

"I believe…" said Ruby slowly, making sure to enunciate each word so these idiotic Hunters wouldn't make her repeat herself. "... that I killed a friend of yours." Ruby threw it out there as a challenge, daring one of the Hunters on the walls to pull the trigger. All it would take is was one shot.

"Ruby," Yang called again. "Do you remember me?"

Ruby stared at her. She remembered, but it was obviously causing the blonde severe emotional agony for her not to. "No," she lied. "Were you at Beacon?"

"Yes," encouraged Yang, believing that Ruby was starting to recollect. "It was me, you, Blake and Weiss. Do you remember?"

"I remember Beacon." Ruby's laugh could have chilled their bones. "So you were at Beacon…" Her scythe flashed up, cutting into Yang's arm. The Huntress beside her tensed, but did not visibly respond. Blood flew through the air, but did not manage to coat anything but the ground.

"Why Ruby?" Yang pleaded. "Why are you doing this?"

"You do not know?" Ruby's face contorted in rage. Her scythe flashed, this time prompting Yang to jump back to avoid decapitation. "I told you," she hissed. "I told you on the day I left." Of course Ruby remembered that day. How could she forget the first day on her path to a greater cause?

* * *

It was their second year at Beacon, and while Blake and Yang's relationship had grown, even with Weiss, Ruby had steadily been getting more distant. The only times the team saw their normally energetic leader was in classes and while she slept. Gone was the adorable and ear-destroying charm that Ruby normally portrayed. Every time they had seen her she was moody, never offering a conversation.

Ruby's teammates had woken on their own. At first her absence had gone unnoticed, but swiftly it was seen that none of Ruby's clothes or toiletries were there. The team enlisted the support of team JNPR to track her down. Almost immediately Nora called in to say she had found Ruby… By the loading docks. The girl had all of her gear, including her personal belongings.

The team had rushed to the loading station as soon as they got the message. Feet thundering their way towards it were cut short, almost literally, as a bullet appeared by Yang's feet. Two swiftly followed, cutting off the other two.

"Ruby!" called Yang. "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving!" the red haired girl answered. "I hate this place… I hate you all!" It was almost storybook how the airship rose up behind her as she said it. Ruby boarded, keeping her sights trained on her teammates. Yang knew she must be second guessing herself, if only she could get close enough. But before she had the chance, it was gone. The airship departed, leaving only a weeping Yang as her sister disappeared.

* * *

"But why?" Yang begged to know. "Yes, you left. You said you hated us. But why kill?" Tears streamed down her face.

"I have found a greater cause," Ruby said triumphantly. "The city of Vale is weak, already crumbling. I will rise with its rightful ruler." Her eyes narrowed. "We shall kill all who oppose the rule of Queen Cinder Fall."

"Ruby please. Don't do this. Come back to us. You can still repent."

"Repent?!" Ruby shrieked. "I am doing the right thing already! You idiotic fools, you do not see the larger picture. You are but pawns of a force you do not understand! I have risen above you! I am needed!"

"Cinder is lying to you," countered the woman with black hair. "She merely wishes for a puppet to do her will while-" The woman in black was forced to stop as a scythe whipped past her, almost catching her hair with the blade, and nicking her shoulder with a bullet.

"Shut up!" screamed Ruby. "That is Queen Cinder to you, you worthless Hunter." Ruby's stance took on a fighting pose. The time for talk was over.

"Forget this, fire!" yelled a voice from the rooftops. Ruby smiled in wild anticipation of the fight.

As the first bullets fell, Ruby flared her aura perfectly, igniting a line of dust. The entire building to her left shuddered as the line ran up it, before… The building exploded as the dust inside ignited. The blonde Huntress was stunned by falling debris, but the black Huntress managed to hold off Ruby's scythe.

The two exchanged blow after blow, but it was clear Ruby was stronger. A cut appeared on the black-haired woman's cheek, another on her arm. A large gouge opened in her arm. As they jumped, dashed, and even phased around each other in a deadly dance, the Hunters watching could not fire. Each shot would likely miss, and if it didn't it was just as likely to hit their ally. After a particularly deep cut to her side, the Huntress faltered.

Ruby's eyes shone as she closed in for the first kill, but she was thwarted by a man in a green Oriental coat. In his hands were two pistols that looked to double as kamas. He closed in quickly and economically. Unfortunately for him, the problem of reach was still an issue. Ruby practically toyed with him as she flash-stepped in all directions, waiting for an opening.

She found it. He had been expecting a flash-step to his left, but Ruby had gone to his back. Gleefully she swung her scythe, waiting for the explosion of blood and screams that came wi- A weight hit Ruby directly in the gut. The blonde woman from earlier had wrapped her midsection in a hug with about the same force as a hydraulic pump. Her blow had been halted as the blonde woman flew under her scythe.

Ruby flash-stepped out of the hug, gazing in horror at the blonde woman. A bullet dug into her arm, straight through the leather armor she wore. With a curse, Ruby fired her weapon at the Oriental man's stomach, fleeing the scene.

* * *

Cinder Fall watched as her assassin calmly made her report to Torchwick, blood still dripping down her arm. Her armor was scratched and torn in a few places, but it seemed she had only sustained one wound. As soon as she had been done reporting, she had gone straight for their private chambers.

Cinder found her young lover treating her wound. It was a bullet in the arm, normally something that would have crippled a lesser human. But Cinder's assassin was different. She slowly walked across the room, knowing the mirror would give her assassin a perfect view of the alluring walk. Cinder slowly encased the woman in a hug from behind.

"Mistress…" her assassin breathed, her voice filled with longing, lust, and love. Cinder answered her call with one of her own.

Hours later, the two lay tangled on the bed, Ruby in Cinder's arms. The older woman was stroking the hair of her younger lover. "Mistress," Ruby said. "What do I fight for?"

"Hmm?" replied Cinder. She stopped stroking her lovers hair to grasp her chin, forcing their eyes to make contact. "You have not asked that in over a year."

"I fear… I fear I may forget." Something had obviously happened on her mission, more than she reported to Torchwick. But Ruby could keep no secrets from her Queen, nor, as Cinder knew, did she desire to.

When Ruby had first come to Cinder and Torchwick, she had been more than skeptic. But the woman's anguish had rung true, and her actions proved doubly so. Even more than that however, was it was a kindred soul to Cinder's own. Cinder knew what Ruby had been going through, so she had offered an escape. The now assassin had greedily grasped at the opportunity, with a need to be told what to do again.

Cinder's mind was brought back to the present by the feeling of lips on her own. Ruby kissed her incredibly softly, barely connecting their skin. "Mistress," she begged. "Please."


	4. Meetings

Ruby was bored. She knew how important these meetings were for the Revolution, and she knew how vital her presence was for the Revolution, but that didn't mean she had to enjoy them. If Cinder hadn't personally asked her, she probably wouldn't even be here.

The current speaker was the head of one of Vale's leading Realty companies. His speech was uninteresting, but he kept shooting glances towards Cinder, and more importantly, the woman behind her. Everyone in Vale knew the name of Crimson Rose, the legendary assassin. To find out she was working with Cinder Fall was not troubling, but downright frightening.

Hence Ruby's presence at these meetings. She was added security, but really she was just there to look threatening. Not that the participants of this meeting needed further threats; the fact that they were here, talking to the Queen herself, meant they had only two options: agree or die. Ruby guarded Cinder's identity jealously, as if Cinder didn't do a good enough job herself.

The man was still going on? Really, he had agreed five minutes ago, there was no need to hear his terms, he didn't get terms. He either agreed with the Queen or he didn't. Deciding that Cinder probably didn't want to hear his voice anymore, Ruby grabbed her gun-scythe, extending it. The speaker's eye grew extremely wide as the barrel pointed towards his, but he sighed as it passed right by. Ruby moved the scythe part up near her face to sharpen it.

Cinder laughed at her lover's antics. Really, Ruby did not like these things, nor did she appreciate proper diplomacy. But she had a point. "Thank you Mister Houseman, for your cooperation," she announced over the sound of a stone grinding across the metal. Houseman sat down with somewhat less than grace, apparently thinking that every moment he stood lead him closer to a very gruesome death. Which it probably did.

Cinder turned around to address the noise problem. "Crimson, dear, we are still trying to talk." Ruby's face bore no outward reaction, but her eyes seemed to laugh as she acquiesced. Now they could get on with the meeting. There wouldn't be too many more, Cinder had laid out most of her plans. Only a few more months, and all the pieces would fall into place.

* * *

Meanwhile in Vale, another meeting was taking place. This one wasn't going nearly as smoothly however. Yang couldn't hear any single voice over the ruckus. It seemed that every Hunter and their dog had something to say today, and the best way to say it was at the same time as everyone else. Sharing a glace with a few Hunters she knew, Yang made her intentions known. The Hunters who saw her calmly get up and start walking forward surreptitiously got out of her way.

Once Yang was in the center of the circle, surrounded by raised voices, most of them Huntsmen, she made her move. "I can't take it anymore! Shut up!" she yelled above the crowd. At the same time she flared her aura, her semblance causing the whole thing to turn to flames, as well as her hair behind her. At the sight of a very angry, flaming Huntress, most of the other Hunters apologized.

It wasn't really their fault they were so concerned. With over thirty Hunters dead, traveling with an entire squad wasn't safe anymore. The Hunters had decided to take a single day off to meet in the center of Vale, consequences be damned. They had hit the breaking point when Signal Academy shut down, effectively cutting off further Hunter training. Qrow gave no explanation to the shut down, probably because they hadn't found him. All there was was a letter saying the Academy had shut down and he was "getting out while I still can."

Which lead Yang to the present. Even some of the most famous Hunters in Vale were in attendance, including Glendya Goodwitch, Ozpin, Huntsman Thomas (he was on cereal boxes), and old Eyeless. A few faces were notably absent however. Serenity, one of the most famous Huntresses was not in attendance, and nor was Earman, Irene Wright, or Zzaq-seriously, how the woman was named that Yang would never guess. And that didn't include any big-names that had ended up on the wrong side of a gun-scythe.

With the delegation mostly quiet, Yang decided it was up to her to lead at this point, now that she had made a scene. "Fellow Hunters," she started. A good start, right? "We all know why we're here, and we all have a way we think can stop it. But no one can hear jack shi-I mean anything when you're all talking at once. How can we stand up to Crimson Rose if we just bicker amongst ourselves?"

She let them mull that over as she went to go sit back with her team. Sun gave her a thumbs-up, and Blake graced her with a little smile. Weiss did nothing, but she could hear the unspoken approval.

"Miss Xiao Long bring up a good point my friends," said a deep male voice. Ozpin stood up, moving to the center of the room as he grabbed everyone's attention. Though Ozpin hadn't acted in his role as a Huntsman for a long time, no one could forget his services during the time he did serve.

"Crimson Rose is not about to be stopped by anything less than a concentrated effort," he continued. "It has become quite clear that her skills are improving at a much faster rate than anyone had expected. Qrow taught her to use her weapon, but even he was defeated. He may not have died, but he is no longer helping us. With this in mind, does anyone have any suggestions?"

"I say we hunt her!" cried one of the Huntsmen. A young fellow, probably just graduated from Beacon. "We get the police to do our jobs for a day, she can't be that hard to find."

A sigh was heard from the left side of the room. "We've tried that already, Rookie," said Eyeless. "If it was as simple as they we'd have never gotten into this situation."

"We could try to spring a trap on her," suggested an older Huntress.

"We tried that," replied Weiss. "She turned it around on us."

"We could-"

Yang didn't let the newest speaker finish. "We're going about this the wrong way!" All eyes snapped back to her. Even her team looked surprised at her outburst. She continued, undaunted. "We keep trying to find ways to stop Crimson, but she isn't working on her own!"

Eyebrows shot up around the room. "Explain," demanded Goodwitch.

"How do you know this?" asked Ozpin.

"I talked to her, when we set up the trap." Yang realized she was in deep now. Time for some clever talking. "When I asked her why she was doing things, she said it was only orders. She said she would 'raise Vale's rightful ruler.' Does anyone know what that means?"

Ozpin and Huntsman Thomas shared a glance. So did a few of the other elder Hunters. "You do!" cried Weiss. "What have you not told us? What have you hid? We have the right to know!" The white haired heiress was livid; if someone knew the reason her friends were dying, she had every intention of finding out.

All the elder Hunters turned their eyes to Ozpin, who sighed. It seemed they had picked him as the spokesman. "A few year ago," he began. The gentleman cleared his throat. "A few years ago, we caught wind of a woman by the name of Cinder Fall. She had been gathering supporters, telling them she was supposed to be the Queen of Vale."

"Nonsense!" interjected a young Huntress. "Vale hasn't had a king or queen for over a hundred years!"

"Let the man finish, Rookie. Besides, a hundred years is not so long." The Huntress in question quieted down at the request of her superior. Still, her eyes told Yang she didn't agree. Then again, Eyeless probably was a hundred years old. Hard to tell.

"Thank you Eyeless. As I was saying, she was gathering supporters. She fell off the radar after some time, but in her activity she gained the support of most of the criminal organizations and the White Fang." A few Hunters hissed at the mention of the terrorist group. "We now know what she was doing during the downtime." Ozpin paused, as if for dramatic effect. Yang knew better. He was gauging their reactions when he told them who Crimson Rose really was.

"A month before Cinder Fall's organization went quiet, an aspiring young Huntress left my school." There were a few intakes of breath, mostly from the youngest Hunters. Yang couldn't blame them; only her group and JNPR knew the truth of Ruby. "Her name was Ruby Rose, she wielded a gun-scythe, and she loved the color red."

The ensuing silence was audible.

* * *

A/N

Sorry this took so long to get out, as I explained in my other story I had about thirty days where I probably couldn't write anything. However, I finally know where I'm going with this story. If you came here for dark horror, I apologize for the humor I throw into Yang's segments, but Ruby's character doesn't give me much to work with. How do you give emotions to a character who is supposed to have no emotions?

Anyway, I finally know where I'm going with this story, and I've mapped out the whole thing. Updates will once again be more frequent, but if I'm not finished in the next two weeks then I won't be for a month.


	5. Hiatus Note - Long Overdue

**This Hiatus note is long overdue, for which I apologize. I seem to be doing this to most of my multi-chapter fics, but hey, read my profile, I'm not good at them.**

**Concerning this story: This, along with Answers of Strife, is going to undergo a major overhaul. The current multi-chapter fic I am working on-Setting the Bar-will be finished before this overhaul occurs. This is NOT because I have forgotten or lost interest in this story, because that is not the case. I feel I started this story too soon without having a firm grasp of different writing styles, which is the reason this story's writing may feel a tad eclectic at times.  
**

**Setting the Bar is my fic to try out new things and get used to different writing styles, as well as honing the one I most enjoy. It isn't serious and will most likely be finished in a month or so, unless I hit another stone wall in it.  
**

**Concerning this story's re-write: I'd like to make this a Horror/Romance story again, and for that reason, as I have been advised, the story will never stray into Ruby's perspective. All the chapters thus far will be edited to be from an onlooker, and the story will have more of a focus on Cinder and Ruby's relationship, as I feel it was made unclear. Also, although you may tell me not to, I intend to slightly up the descriptiveness of the violence, as I feel that is the best indication of the deteriorated state of Ruby's mind.  
**

**Don't be disheartened, this story WILL be finished. Just not right now. Thank you for your patience and continuing support.  
**


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